Post Drawn Hunt Season Convo

[Etxnoodler]

Lots of good stuff here already.

My top ask for a few years has been a points-only option. No reason anyone with schedule conflicts or that can’t do a hunt that year should be in the pool with everyone else that is hoping to draw the hunt. Further dilutes the already over-saturated pool. No way you can’t not apply though and miss out on the point.

Next would be a lot of hunts themselves. Most are 2-3 days hunts and lots are assigned blind only. Be great if we got a week or two, or even in some cases a full archery season to hunt a tag. More hunter opportunity. Some places have multiple hunts where you couldn’t do that, but a lot don’t. Have to dodge the general public in some areas, but you have to do that out west too. Most of the general public aren’t around in early morning or evening hunting hours anyways, especially during the week. Just have a check-in program at the park headquarters or app when you kill something. They already have your vehicle and tag info. If you kill, call it in or log it like other states, then you don’t need a babysitter for the whole hunt. Staff have been great almost every hunt I’ve been on, no slight to them there. Probably save them labor hours and OT for the staff that run the hunts as well.

As someone with points in 8 other states for different species, I'm 100% onboard with having nonresidents purchase some kind of license or permit to be able to apply for the hunts. Every other state requires a license or something similar to apply. I don't think the drawn hunts get overly flooded with nonresidents (but I could be wrong). It would at least be consistent with everywhere else.

IMO, sheep, muley, and pronghorn hunts are in such limited quantity they shouldn't be available for non-residents. Every other state has ratios for tag numbers before non-residents can get a sheep tag (have to have 10 tags before 1 can go to NR, etc.). Again, not sure how many actually apply here, but the sheep tag is advertised in the Western hunting mags, so I'm sure it's more than a few. At $3 to apply and no license to buy ahead of time, I bet there’s a lot of NR chasing a desert that throw their name in. It’s too cheap not to.

Raffle or not, I also think the Texas Grand Slam Big Time Hunt should be available for residents only. Anything involving the few sheep hunts available here should be residents only. Let the NRs go on the hog hunt. They get more excited about those things anyways

I'm good with a cost increase and/or limiting apps per category also, just to prevent shotgun applications.

Absolutely zero reason non residents should be able to apply for pronghorn, mule deer, bighorn, and probably exotic. No other state would give us a single permit with the amount of permits we have. I don’t know how everybody Dosnt think this.
I don’t really think non residents are our problem besides for these category’s. And probably really only exotic and bighorn. But they should have to buy a license and be limited to no more that 5-10 percent of permits. The” no more than” is important. I don’t want permits set aside for them.
only being able to apply for 1 hunt per category would go a. Long way.

[Mule Skinner]

This season, drew Teniente with 5 points and got my bull.

Since 2017, drew mule deer, pronghorn and exotic. Had point buildup on these three, but overall number of applicants keeps going up. It’s a waiting game.

All in all, I’m not complaining.

[Mr. Public]

I talked to staff at a NWR one day about it and was told that because most of the NWR units were purchased with waterfowl federal funds and one of the stipulations was about feed so I don’t think it can ever be changed if that was the purchase stipulation. But honestly, I’m against it anyway. Takes away from the true hunt experience and difficulty that makes these hunts so much fun. (Just like I’m against e-bikes, but I’ll get flamed for that opinion lol)

I also don’t understand why people want to limit us to 3 choices between categories. I don’t like the idea of being limited to what I can chose as a resident. Maybe it’ll increase your odds a little? But if you’re just an unlucky person, you’re still not gonna draw anyway

Focus should be on non-resident changes. Heck, Utah just stuck it to non-res , so why can’t we start making them buy a license first. We arent saying, you can’t come hunt here, but you gotta pay first to come hunt our state like we do yours.

A big part of me wishes it would go back to no ebikes permitted on refuge hunts. As much as a game changer as they are in be beneficial, now everyone has them so it also disrupts alot of the hard to reach places....because with todays ebikes, NOTHINGS HARD TO REACH! Shoot, This year I could practically ride my ebike from College Station to Laguna!

[Mr. Public]

Brokeno, genuinely curious here. Why are you so dead set on Chap? Is that the only Either Sex Rifle hunt you apply for? Judging by the past few years, I truly hope you don't draw it and then be disappointed because honestly the bucks have predominantly looked average.

I don't mean I hope you don't draw it but rather I hope you're not disappointed once you draw it.

I do believe you'll draw it soon though.

I been preaching this to him! Old Timers are stuckin their ways!!! Ya-needa put in for Matador over Chap, Dennis!

[Mr. Public]

I wish some of you were as right as you were passionate

HAHA! I know your stance.

I definitely do not agree with allotting 20-30% of tags to NRs. Hell-nah!

[Mr. Public]

Lots of good stuff here already.

My top ask for a few years has been a points-only option. No reason anyone with schedule conflicts or that can’t do a hunt that year should be in the pool with everyone else that is hoping to draw the hunt. Further dilutes the already over-saturated pool. No way you can’t not apply though and miss out on the point.

Next would be a lot of hunts themselves. Most are 2-3 days hunts and lots are assigned blind only. Be great if we got a week or two, or even in some cases a full archery season to hunt a tag. More hunter opportunity. Some places have multiple hunts where you couldn’t do that, but a lot don’t. Have to dodge the general public in some areas, but you have to do that out west too. Most of the general public aren’t around in early morning or evening hunting hours anyways, especially during the week. Just have a check-in program at the park headquarters or app when you kill something. They already have your vehicle and tag info. If you kill, call it in or log it like other states, then you don’t need a babysitter for the whole hunt. Staff have been great almost every hunt I’ve been on, no slight to them there. Probably save them labor hours and OT for the staff that run the hunts as well.

As someone with points in 8 other states for different species, I'm 100% onboard with having nonresidents purchase some kind of license or permit to be able to apply for the hunts. Every other state requires a license or something similar to apply. I don't think the drawn hunts get overly flooded with nonresidents (but I could be wrong). It would at least be consistent with everywhere else.

IMO, sheep, muley, and pronghorn hunts are in such limited quantity they shouldn't be available for non-residents. Every other state has ratios for tag numbers before non-residents can get a sheep tag (have to have 10 tags before 1 can go to NR, etc.). Again, not sure how many actually apply here, but the sheep tag is advertised in the Western hunting mags, so I'm sure it's more than a few. At $3 to apply and no license to buy ahead of time, I bet there’s a lot of NR chasing a desert that throw their name in. It’s too cheap not to.

Raffle or not, I also think the Texas Grand Slam Big Time Hunt should be available for residents only. Anything involving the few sheep hunts available here should be residents only. Let the NRs go on the hog hunt. They get more excited about those things anyways

I'm good with a cost increase and/or limiting apps per category also, just to prevent shotgun applications.

*****THIS TIMES INFINITY******

MOOSE knows what hes talking about!

[Huntindad]

A big part of me wishes it would go back to no ebikes permitted on refuge hunts. As much as a game changer as they are in be beneficial, now everyone has them so it also disrupts alot of the hard to reach places....because with todays ebikes, NOTHINGS HARD TO REACH! Shoot, This year I could practically ride my ebike from College Station to Laguna!

They are a convenience to young folks like you. To us old folks, they are a game changer. No one is forcing you to use one. You sound upset other folks get to the same areas to hunt that you do. Both of y'all on your Ebikes

[justletmein]

Wife and I used ebikes this year, bought them specifically for Laguna and that's all they'll ever be used for. It felt like we were cheating honestly. I wouldn't complain if they quit allowing them.

[Yakinthebox]

My thoughts on E-Bikes, they're making chasing game on public unattainable for the people that can't afford them.
They're pretty freaking expensive and this is supposed to be an affordable alternative to leasing or owning land. Just like everything else, people with money screw it up for the little people.

If you can afford a 2-3k dollar rig to roll around on public land with, just get on a lease.

*I know this doesn't really apply to everyone but gah-lee!

Same thing happened with kayak fishing.

[justletmein]

Wife's bike was about $550 and mine was somewhere like $1100, definitely don't need a $3k+ bike for Laguna. Maybe in the mountains going up elevation. Having said that it did hurt a little dumping the money unexpectedly but this is my hobby so I splurged and I also thought I was going solo. Had I known she'd get the days off work eventually we would've been on foot. What's interesting is with all the people with cheaper bikes now everybody is in the back and they ride past a lot of animals. We talked to several people hunting near the trucks and they killed well and saw lots of animals. Same in the elk forest with everybody "going deep" it leaves less pressure up front. Animals respond accordingly.